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CHAPTER 4
DESIGN
The goal of the project is to test the hypotheses presented in the previous chapter. In order to do so, we must first create a prototype of a tool using both audio
and visuals to perform debugging. We called this tool AVD, and it is reffered to
as such in the entire report. In this chapter we describe our initial plan for such
a tool. This initial plan was, on purpose, too large to ever be feasible, intended
to serve as a backlog of the desired features for the development phase.
4.1
Language
In the previous semester[14], one of the hypotheses was that the benefits of
visual feedback during the debugging session were more prominent for object
oriented languages than for imperative languages. While we could not make
a concrete conclusion on that hypothesis, we did get a strong indication that
this was in fact the case.
Along with our experience, this led us to choosing Java as the language to be
used with the tool.
4.2
Target Platform
Eclipse is a large IDE supporting many languages, and has large support for
plug-ins. In fact the core IDE is very small consisting of only a core that is expanded with plug-ins developed by the Eclipse team using the same Software
Development Kit (SDK), we would be using.
Plug-ins developed for Eclipse function independently of each other, but can
be used in unison. Each plug-in is essentially a set of views (a UI part, such as
an editor, the console view or the project view) and perhaps some perspective
(a collection of views in some configuration) detailing their presentation.
Eclipse makes it possible to make different configurations of views, including
support for maximizing and tabbing when views are placed in the same position. Perspectives can be defined by plug-ins, as is the example with some
predefined perspectives, such as Java and Debugging; or they can be defined
by the user.
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